First Times Revised
by CoMo290
Summary: The beginning of a new romance between Lloyd and Sheena. Revised due to popular demand.
1. Chapter 1

Firsts  
Chapter 1

It had been nearly two weeks since Sheena and Lloyd began their journey to collect all the remaining exspheres, and Sheena found herself to be rather depressed. The journey itself was going quite well, they had already recovered and disposed of at least a dozen exspheres, and it helped that an official decree from King Tethe'alla had been set that all exspheres be gathered and released to Yuan, who would then properly destroy them. But Sheena wasn't getting the result from this adventure that she had originally intended.

For quite some time during the world regeneration, Sheena found herself developing serious feelings for the naïve swordsman, who was of course none the wiser. She knew Lloyd could be somewhat dense, but even after large hints she dropped he never seemed to catch on. She practically screamed it at him that night in Flanoir and later at the village of the elves, it just seemed like Lloyd was somewhat inexperienced in the area.

Still, Sheena tried. She thought for sure that if she went on this journey with Lloyd, one of two things would happen. She would either work up the courage to be completely straight with him, which was difficult with her naturally timid demeanor, or he would finally realize what he had directly in front of him. Two weeks into their journey, neither scenario was showing any sign of fruition.

Sheena had hoped that by now the two would be sharing their bedroom rather than having quarters across the hall. She had thought she would be in his arms every minute, lips pressed to his the way she had always dreamt about. Hell, she would have settled for holding hands while crossing the street if it meant the possibility of a single kiss later down the road. Still, the only physical contact the two ever shared was when Sheena wrapped her hands around his waist while the two rode Noishe across the grasslands, but she made sure to cherish every second of this.

Sheena began to realize that if she were ever going to make any progress in this front, she would have to begin taking action. Courage, however, was never something abundant to Sheena. In fact most of the courage she had ever gained was from Lloyd himself reassuring her. She kept telling herself the worst thing that could happen is he would reject her, but that was what she most feared. Sheena relied on her friendship with Lloyd, and if there were ever to be something that could break up a friendship, this was it. As much as she needed this friendship, she knew she couldn't bury her feelings forever.

It had been nearly two weeks since Lloyd and Sheena began their journey to collect all the remaining exspheres, and Lloyd couldn't be happier. The journey itself was going quite well, they had already recovered and disposed of at least a dozen exspheres, and it was being helped by an official decree from King Tethe'alla that all exspheres be gathered and released to Yuan, who would then properly destroy them. Lloyd especially loved that he got to go on this journey with one of his best friends.

Ever since the attack on Luin, Lloyd knew Sheena was going to become a trusted ally, possibly even someone he could put among the ranks of his best friends, but he had no idea he would end up traveling a completely new world with her. Sheena was the type of kind caring person he had only heard of in dwarven fairy tales. It seemed like no matter the time, she always had time for Lloyd. Whether it be words of reassurance, or Lloyd just needed a trusting ear, Sheena was always there for him.

After time, the two soon discovered how much they had in common. Neither grew up knowing their true parents, and both were seen as outsiders even among their own people. Lloyd had been cast out of the town he had known all his life, and after failing the pact with Volt, the people of Mizuho did all but expel Sheena. Lloyd hated storms because of the memories it brought back of his true parents, Sheena hated storms because the lightning always reminded her of the events at the temple that fateful day.

Lloyd felt grateful every day that he could have at least one friend like Sheena, but lately he had been seeing her in a differently light. He had often wondered why exactly it was she chose to go on this particular adventure with him. It had often crossed his mind that perhaps Sheena had deeper feelings than that of friendship for him, but he usually discarded the thought. _What could she possibly see in me? _He thought. He had always thought of Sheena as an attractive girl, but surely she was too good for him. She was the sort of girl who deserved a man with a high paying job who could take care of her night after night, not some bumbling swordsman from a small town. _No, Sheena is a friend, just a friend. That's the only reason she came with you, because she's your friend_, was how the argument in his head always ended. But Lloyd couldn't be more wrong.

Sheena awoke to the familiar beige ceiling of the Inn at Altamira. Judging by the light pouring in the window, it was about time for her to get up. Never really a morning person, Sheena took her time to get dressed. After she had finished putting her hair up, there was a knock at the door. She pulled it open to reveal the familiar brown hair, chestnut eyes, red shirt, and twin swords of Lloyd.

"Mornin Sheena, ready to get some breakfast? We've got a long day ahead of us." He said.

"Yeah that would be great." She replied with drowsiness still in her voice.

The two walked silently to the elevator down to the restaurant. Sheena had to break the silence with something.

"You know your hair is starting to get a little long." She said tugging playfully at the hair in front of his eyes. "You're not going to be able to see who you're fighting if you let it get any longer."

"Yeah I guess it's about time for a trim, I always left that sort of thing to my dad." He replied examining the tuft in front of his eyes.

"What about mine?" She asked. "You don't think there's anything wrong with it do you?"

"Nope, it looks the same as always."

"Oh, good." Attempts at fishing for compliments with Lloyd usually ended this way. "Well if you need me to, I could try cutting your hair, I'm pretty good with scissors myself." Although Sheena was quite the stylist, she really just wanted to run her fingers through his hair.

"Yeah that would be great." He said.

Sheena stopped at the doors to the restaurant. _God that was awful, I've yet again made a complete fool of myself. Sometimes I think I should feel lucky that Lloyd has no idea what I'm talking about. _She thought to herself.

"Hey you dork, are you coming?" Lloyd said with his big dumb grin.

"Yeah, I just… yeah I'm coming." She said with a note of sorrow.

The two were quickly seated at a table near the window of the large resort. Sheena watched as children played on the nearby beach and waves crashed upon the sand. She also spent a large amount of time watching a young couple, no older than she and Lloyd, lying together in the sun. _Those two don't know how lucky they are to have each other._ Her attention was brought back to Lloyd who seemed to be looking at the same thing.

"So what's the agenda for today?" She asked.

"Well we can catch the ferry to the mainland in two hours. From there it's two days to Sybak, and then another day to Meltokio. There won't be anywhere to stop and rest tonight, so we'll probably be camping like old times."

"Sounds good." She said with a smile.

The two ate breakfast quickly and quietly. Lately it seemed like there was uneasiness between the two of them. After their meal the two separated until it was time to meet for the ferry.

It was going to be Lloyd's birthday soon, and Sheena knew Altamira would be the perfect place to find him a present. Although Lloyd was rather skilled at carving and craft making, Sheena was not, so all of her presents needed to be purchased like any other.

Being a hero of the regeneration came with its perks, stores were all too quick to give discounts to those involved in uniting the two worlds, and it didn't hurt to be in tight with the president of the Lezareno Company, so Sheena had hoped she wouldn't need to spend too much. The problem was, what do you get the guy who has no desire for material things? The other problem was finding something that she could use to express her feelings without her actually having to say anything. These were all questions the local shopkeepers were no help answering.

She checked shop after shop to no avail. Then she saw the one store that for some reason had not even crossed her mind to check. The weapons shop. All sorts of swords, axes, and spears were on display in the large facility, all having been finely polished. She was approached by one of the sales clerks.

"Greetings miss anything I can help you find?" He asked her with a tone implying he thought she was lost.

"Well it's my friend's birthday soon, and I thought this might be the only place that would have anything appealing to him."

"A warrior type eh? Well then you've come to the right place. Tell me, what's his fancy? Axes? Swords?"

"Swords, well twin swords anyway. He's pretty attached to the pair he has right now, but I think the sheaths could use replacing."

"Ah, well then let me show you what I have." He said guiding her towards the back of the room. "Now does your boyfriend have a favorite color? That can make all the difference."

"Red, definitely red. But, he's not really my boyfriend, just a friend." She said with the same sad note in her voice.

"Well then, how about these here?" He said pulling out a pair strikingly similar to the ones already in use by Lloyd. She examined them carefully, getting a feel for the texture and making sure they would be of good use.

"Yeah, these would work great." She said with great relief. "How much for the set?"

"Well for the girl trying to win her man, I can give you a special deal." He said with a wink. Sheena couldn't help but smile.

Sheena arrived at the docks a little early hoping to hide Lloyd's gift before he arrived, but he was already there with Noishe at his side. He turned as he noticed her almost immediately.

"What's that you've got there?" He said noting the rather large parcel in her hands.

"Oh you know, just some girl stuff." She replied.

"Well we really should be traveling light, I felt bad enough having Noishe carry me by myself, let alone the two of us together."

"Are you trying to imply something about my weight?" Sheena said lifting an eyebrow.

"Uh, no I just-"he replied rather nervously.

"Relax, I was just kidding." She said with a grin, "besides, this thing barely weighs a pound, I'm sure Noishe can handle it." She patted Noishe on the head as she said this.

Lloyd let out a sigh of relief. _Dodged another one. _He thought to himself. _You know sometimes I think I'd be better off not saying anything at all._ His eyes followed Sheena as she positioned herself on the railing next to him.

"Well we better get on now, ferry leaves in ten minutes." He said. Sheena continued to stare out to sea. "It sure is a nice day though, to be sailing. Sometimes I think it would be nice to get my own boat, and just relax out in the ocean for a whole week." Sheena began to imagine it, just the two of them together, sun bathing on their own sail boat. Her heart fluttered. "Let's go." He said leading Noishe onto the ferry. Sheena let out a deep sigh, and followed suit.

After they reached land the journey continued on foot. The two rode on the back of Noishe for as long as the creature could stand it, and rested as often as time allowed. It was quite a nice day to be traveling. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and there was just enough of a breeze to keep it cool. After the sun was almost completely down, the two found a clearing in the forest to set up camp, which was usually just a couple of sleeping bags if the weather was nice enough. Lloyd prepared a fire while Sheena got water from the nearest stream, by the time she had returned there was a cozy fire blazing, and Lloyd was sitting propped up against Noishe who was fast asleep. She took a spot right next to him, hips grazing lightly.

"Hungry?" He said handing her meat from an unknown animal.

"Yeah that would be great." She said as she accepted it.

The two sat quietly for some time eating their dinner. By the time they had finished the sun was completely gone from the sky, the moon was in its' place, and stars blanketed the night. Both had their heads back gazing straight up.

"You know," he started, "I think this is how we should do it every night. In front of the fire with Noishe here, looking up at the stars. It's nicer than anything an Inn can offer if you ask me."

"Yeah I know what you mean." She said imagining the two of them together in one large sleeping bag, rather than the two they now had.

"Back in Iselia, Colette, Genis, and me used to go camping all the time. A lot of the time it was just the three of us in one big sleeping bag."

_Colette, that lucky little chosen. _Sheena thought to herself. It was getting late now; Sheena felt her eyes getting heavy. Before she knew it her head found a place to rest on Lloyd's shoulder, it happened as an accident at first, but he didn't seem to mind so she left it there. She had never fallen asleep happier.

When she awoke the next morning she found herself in her own sleeping bag, much to her dismay Lloyd must have put her there sometime in the night. He was already busy preparing breakfast at this point. Sheena rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she got up and began rolling up her sleeping bag. Noishe was busy chewing a bone from the same animal Lloyd caught last night.

"Good morning." He said finally noticing she had gotten up. "How did you sleep?"

"Great." She said with a big smile. "I hope it didn't bother you too much that I fell asleep on you last night."

"Don't worry about it; it happened all the time with Colette when we were growing up." He replied.

"Oh, right." Disappointment was a common companion with Sheena on this trip. "Say, did anything else ever happen with Colette while you two were growing up? You know, something you might not do with just any friend?"

Lloyd thought for a minute. "Oh haha I think I know what you mean. Colette is like my little sister, I can't even imagine anything like that."

Sheena let out a sigh of relief. _There may be some hope yet._

After several hours of traveling, the two finally arrived at the educational center of Sybak. Not much had changed here after the regeneration. It was still highly populated with half-elf researchers, only they were all there willingly now, and it seemed like every day representatives went from here to Palmacosta to share the wealth of their knowledge.

"I'm going to go get us a couple rooms at the Inn." Lloyd said. "Why don't you wait for me at the cafeteria at the academy?"

Sheena nodded and headed off to the largest building in town. She was greeted by the familiar dragon skeleton hanging in the entrance. As she entered the cafeteria she saw a certain silver haired half elf woman from her recent past.

"Raine!" Sheena said with excitement as she approached the professor.

"Sheena, it's good to see you. What brings you to Sybak?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Lloyd and I are just passing through, he's getting us a room at the Inn right now and then he'll be meeting me here later. What about you?"

"Well I just thought I never really had a chance to spend any time in Sybak, and that it's too great a source of knowledge for me to just ignore. How goes your exsphere hunt?"

Sheena hesitated. "Good." She finally said.

"Ah, so you still haven't told him how you feel?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" She said a bit caught off guard.

"Sheena you don't have to pretend. I know most people just think of me as the book learned professor Sage, but I'm quite experienced in the ways of love too, and you make it fairly obvious."

"Not obvious enough apparently."

"Sheena, take it from someone who has not only known Lloyd all his life, but was his teacher for the majority of it. Lloyd is, how should I put this, slow. He doesn't pick up on the subtleties of most people except for those he has trained himself to, those being Genis and Colette. Unless he knows your true intentions he's never going try to."

"I know, I just have such a hard time trusting most people with my feelings, and nothing stings worse than rejection."

"This is all too true, but in the long run what do you think is going to hurt more? The pain of being rejected or the pain of living with these feelings for the rest of your life and missing out on what could have been?"

Sheena remained quiet. Lloyd soon appeared in the doorway.

"Professor Sage!" He said with a note of excitement.

"Lloyd it certainly is good to see you, we were just talking about you actually."

"All good things I hope."He replied.

"What else is there to say?" Sheena chimed in. Raine smiled at Sheena's comment, but Lloyd was oblivious yet again.

That night Sheena was alone in her room yet again, and like usual her thoughts went to Lloyd. She was playing with a good luck charm he had carved for her; she had it on her at all times. She began thinking of how she would do it, tell Lloyd how she felt. She couldn't see herself just walking up to him and blurting it out, but she couldn't just leave him a note either, it had to be special. It was during all of this thinking that she fell asleep.

The next morning was similar to all the others previous; she got dressed, waited for the knock from Lloyd, they ate together, and they were off. It was only a couple hours before they reached the Tethe'alla Bridge and soon Meltokio was in sight.

The royal city was busier than ever now that trade between the Tethe'allans and Sylvaranti was booming. The slums in the city had been improved with the increase in the economy and plans to expand the walls were in order with the rapid expansion.

"Hey I'm going to go stop in at the elemental research facility and say hello to everyone, do you want to meet up somewhere later?" Sheena said.

"Well I was thinking I would go see if Zelos was home and stop in with him, in fact it might be a good idea to stay at his place tonight rather than spend any money on an inn." He replied.

"If you say so, just as long as that idiot chosen doesn't try to peep on me or anything."

The two parted ways for the time being. Lloyd headed up the large stairs towards the palace and headed down the road towards the Chosen's mansion. Lights were on so he must have been home. Lloyd knocked on the door and was surprised to have Zelos himself answer the door rather than one of his servants.

"Well if it isn't my old bud Lloyd! Come in come in." He greeted.

"Zelos I don't think it's been long enough you need to call me your "old" bud."

"I know, but it seems like it's been ages. Tell me, how does the adventuring go? I have to say I envy you Lloyd."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"Well ever since we saved the world and all that fun, I've been stuck here doing all sorts of bureaucratic nonsense with the church trying to get all this "one world" stuff in order, sometimes it's not fun at all being the chosen. Not to mention all the time you get to spend with Sheena, I bet you guys are pretty close these days."

"Not really, I mean not anymore than usual." He replied.

"Lloyd you have got to be kidding, I mean I knew you were pretty dense, but now it's just embarrassing, and not just for you, for all men all over the world. My manhood is at stake because you're so dense." Zelos was kidding, but there was a look in his eyes that meant business.

"What are you talking about?" Lloyd felt insulted.

"What am I talking about? You really don't know do you?"

"Know what?"

"Alright, let's sit down." Zelos said pointing towards the sofa. Lloyd sat and Zelos closed the door behind him, and then took a spot next to Lloyd. "So you're telling me you still haven't figured it out?"

"Figured what out?"

Zelos let out a big sigh, "I can't believe I'm the one who has to tell you this."

A look of slow realization began moving across Lloyd's face.

"Ah-ha I think you know where I'm going with this. Lloyd Sheena's in love with you, bad."

"Sheena? In love with me? No way." Lloyd said in honest disbelief.

"Honestly Lloyd, you make it painful to be a man sometimes. Look, if there is one thing I know anything about in this world, it's women, you have to give me credit for that. And it has been painfully obvious for quite some time that Sheena had a lot more than just a crush on you. Ever since the Temple of Lighting when you saved her perfect butt from getting zapped by Volt, and then gave her the courage to make the pact with him, those eyes have only been for you buddy, believe me I know the look, I get it all the time. And I don't know what you two talked about that night in Flanoir, or that time in the village of the elves, but she was beaming the rest of the day. Think about it, don't you think it's strange how this gorgeous beauty among beauties would want to go on a journey that would probably take several years all alone with you and no one else? And not even that, I'm sure by now she's told you all sorts of secrets. And even on our last adventure, she always walked closest to you, always wanted to be in your group, she would stop whatever she was doing just to talk to you, and you really think it's all just because she wants to stay friends forever? I'm sorry but you would have to be the world's biggest ass not to pick up on the hints she's been dropping you."

Lloyd remained silent as he took in Zelos' words.

"Be honest with me Lloyd, how do you feel about Sheena?"

"Well, I really like her, a lot, but I've always just thought she was too good for me."

"That's just it Lloyd, if you ask me there isn't a guy out there good enough for that kind of girl, including myself, and that's really saying something. But in spite of that, she wants you more than any other man out there, you have to be the luckiest man on this whole new crazy planet of ours, so what's stopping you?"

"I would just hate to ruin our friendship. I rely on her as a friend more than anyone else out there; I just couldn't lose her as a friend."

"I know what you're saying Lloyd, but friendships can always be repaired after tragedy strikes, but if you don't take this opportunity now, I can promise that you'll be kicking yourself in the pants later, and believe me when I say I'll be kicking you twice as hard."

"I just wouldn't know what to do."

"Well when it comes time for anything to be done, just come back to your old buddy Zelos, he's just about done it all. But you're definitely going to have to make the first move, I know Sheena's type and there's no way you can wait for her to do anything."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Hey, there's going to be a royal ball tonight in honor of some noble guy's something or other, I don't really pay attention to the details, I just show up and look pretty. Anyway, I'm sure I can get you two in easy, that might be a good time to make your move."

"If you think that's a good idea."

"Oh I do. Until then I'll get you something to wear, and we can go over some basics." Zelos went up the stairs to his room.

Lloyd looked out the window and noticed Sheena walking down the street. He watched as she stopped to play ball with some children outside Zelos' mansion. She looked up feeling eyes upon her and saw Lloyd through the window. Their eyes met and she smiled, he smiled back.

Lloyd wasn't sure if he hated anything more than a collar and a tie, and yet there he was staring at himself in the mirror with his arch nemesis wrapped around his neck. Zelos entered the room, also in formal attire.

"Lloyd my man I must say you have to be the second best looking man in this room right now." He said adjusting his hair in the mirror.

"Thanks, but do you think Sheena will like it?" He asked as he adjusted his tie.

"She'd be crazy not to, and if she doesn't I'm sure there will be plenty of other pretty hunnies for you there." He said giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

Zelos and Lloyd walked down the short distance to the royal palace. It was another clear night; hopefully that was a good sign. The two planned to meet Sheena later in the ball. As they arrived at the palace doors they were greeted by the guards who quickly recognized the two gentlemen.

The palace was done up more extravagantly than usual. Vases with colorful flowers were stuck in any and every corner they could fit in. There was a double string quartet positioned on a stage just big enough at the opposite side of the enormous room. The center of attention seemed to be focused on a familiar tall man with blue hair. The two approached him.

"Regal, I didn't realize this ball was in honor of your…" Zelos started waiting for Regal to finish his sentence.

"Thirtieth birthday."He finished.

"Yeah, well happy birthday!" Zelos said with a grin.

"Yes thank you. It's good to see you again Lloyd, I've been so busy with the Lezareno Company I haven't had any time to see any old friends."

"Yeah, you're the complete opposite of all those other company presidents; you actually get some damn work done." Zelos said some bitterness in his voice.

"It's good to see you too, how is Lezareno anyway?"

"We're doing quite well actually. Right now we're busy working on restoring Ozette and Palmacosta. We hope the work in Palmacosta can establish our good name among the Sylvaranti. You'll also be glad to hear that we have demolished the Toize valley mine, so no exspheres will be coming from there anymore."

"That is good. If only getting rid of the others was so easy."

"Well you can rely on my help and that of the Lezareno Company should you need anything in your travels."

"Thanks Regal."

"Well if you'll excuse us Duke Bryant," Said Zelos, "our buddy Lloyd here has a hot date tonight."

"Oh is that so? I assume you mean Sheena? She and I spoke briefly earlier in the night. After seeing her I must say that I hope you brought your "A game" as they say." Regal said with what rare humor he possessed.

Zelos and Lloyd continued walking around the ball mingling with nobles, keeping an eye out for Sheena. Lloyd had no idea a single room could be so large and fit so many people, and had hoped she hadn't already left.

"Alright Lloyd, are you ready for this?"

"I'd like to think so." He replied.

"Good, because there she is." Zelos said pointing towards the middle of the room. With that he vanished from sight, chasing some young nobles.

Lloyd's eye were instantly locked on Sheena, and he was having a difficult time doing anything else with them. She was wearing a very simple yet elegant burgundy dress with a gold flower pattern going up the left side. It started just above her knees and ended about three fourths of the way up her chest, not too modest and not too revealing. Her dark hair tied in a somewhat more stylish ponytail than the way she usually had it, and there was a soft curl running down the right side of her face. She had a thin amount of eyeliner, just enough to draw attention to her eyes, and a lipstick matching her dress. This was the most make up he had ever seen her wear.

Lloyd's gaze finally caught Sheena's attention. She began working her way through the crowd and finally maneuvered over to him. He smiled as she approached, but he could feel butterflies wreaking havoc in his stomach. Little did he know Sheena was experiencing the same phenomena. She paused in front of him, neither knowing what to say.

"Um Sheena, you look… you look great." Lloyd finally managed to say.

Sheena blushed. "You look really handsome yourself." She said.

The two stood in awkward silence again. Then the double quartet started a new number. Lloyd tried to think of what Zelos had taught him earlier that day.

"Say Sheena, um, would you like to dance?" He asked rather timidly.

She smiled. "Of course I would." She replied.

Lloyd extended his arm and Sheena linked hers with it. The two walked out into the dance floor, neither really knowing what to do. They found a spot they deemed suitable, turned and faced each other. Lloyd placed his hands on her hips, and she put hers around his shoulder. The two did a slow waltz together, never breaking eye contact. Both their hearts were racing faster than ever. As they danced they saw Zelos come by with the princess in his arms. He gave a wink in Lloyd's direction. The song was over too soon. The two exchanged smiles.

"Would you like to get out of here?" Lloyd asked.

"I thought you would never ask." Sheena replied.

The night was still warm and beautiful, the palace glowed in the moonlight, and the wind made a slight rustling sound within the trees.

"So where to?" Sheena asked.

"Well I heard the royal gardens are really nice this time of year." He replied.

"Sounds good to me."

Lloyd opened the gate and allowed Sheena to enter first. It seemed every flower in the garden waited until tonight to be in full bloom. The breeze mixed the aroma from all the flowers together into fresh scent. Sheena closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose to really enjoy it. Lloyd began humming a tune very quietly. It sounded soft, like a lullaby, she had heard him hum it before, but had never really listened until now.

"That melody, it's really pretty." She said. "What is it?"

"I'm not sure actually, I think my mother may have sung it to me when I was just a baby, it's really the only thing I can remember from that far back."

"I'm surprised you can remember even that much, most people can't you know. I'd sure love to have memories of my parents."

The two stood in silence, enjoying their night together in the garden. Sheena took Lloyd's hand in hers. It was surprisingly soft for a sword wielding crafts man such as Lloyd. She gave it a good squeeze, making sure to remember this moment. She got a squeeze back. Sheena's heart began racing, she knew it was now or never. She turned to face him.

"Lloyd, I have something really important I need to tell you." She said looking deep into his eyes. "For a while now I- I've had a lot of feelings, and well I- I need to tell you that… Lloyd Irving, I- I lo-"

Before Sheena could finish her sentence, Lloyd pulled her in close wrapping his arms around her waist, and pressed his lips to hers. At first Sheena was in shock, her body tense, but after she allowed her heart to begin beating again, her brain realized what was happening and she relaxed, putting her hands around his arms. If she could have, Sheena would have stopped time right at this moment, and Lloyd couldn't have agreed more had he known she was thinking the same thing.

The kiss couldn't have lasted forever unfortunately. As they slowly pulled apart from each other she looked back into his chestnut eyes and smiled the biggest smile he had ever seen. With that they kissed again.

The two walked back to Zelos' mansion hand in hand. The ball still had several hours left, but all they wanted at this point was to be alone together. Lloyd opened the door to the mansion, allowing Sheena to enter and he after. Sheena found a spot on one of the couches next to the fire place, and it wasn't long before Lloyd had a fire going. He took the spot next to Sheena and wrapped his arms around her. She placed her head on his chest, just below his neck. He began running his fingers through her hair.

An hour had passed, and Sheena was out cold, her head still lying on his chest. Lloyd picked her up and began to carry her up stairs to her room. He tucked her in and left her with a kiss on the forehead. He went back to his room and put on his usual sleeping attire, a plain white shirt and black shorts. He laid in his bed reflecting on the night. It couldn't have gone any better. Then there was a knock on the door. It was Sheena, wearing a nightgown of similar design to the dress she had on earlier.

"You know I was thinking I wouldn't have to worry about Zelos trying to peep on me, if I was sleeping in your room." She said with a tired smile.

Lloyd didn't say a word, but let her in his room. She crawled in his bed and under the covers, he joined her. He laid flat and as earlier she placed her head on his chest, with one hand on his neck and the other on his arm. He put a hand on her back and one on her head and soon the two were asleep.

The next morning started the way Sheena had always wanted it to, waking up next to Lloyd. When their eyes met she smiled and planted a kiss square on his lips. He began running his fingers through her hair again. Lloyd began humming the tune from the night previous. After a couple minutes, he stopped.

"Hey, what were you going to tell me last night? You know, before I so rudely interrupted." He asked, already knowing the answer.

She took his hand in hers and looked him right in the eyes, she kissed him again before saying, "I love you."

He kissed her as he replied, "I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The journey to collect the remaining exspheres had now taken an interesting turn for Lloyd. Although he was still dedicated to finding the dangerous gems, he wanted to spend as much time as possible improving his newly evolved relationship with Sheena. This was actually proving to be quite difficult considering how little experience either of them had with being in a relationship, but Lloyd was happy with the way things were.

Sheena was also quite happy. Rather than the two sleeping bags on either side of the fire, it was now one large one. She never had to worry about going to bed lonely, Lloyd came to the conclusion it would be more "cost effective" if the two were to share a single room rather than pay for two. Listening to his heart beat every night was her ideal lullaby. It seemed this journey had finally taken a turn in the right direction for her.

They had also been trying to find time for "dates" in-between leads on exsphere locations. Many restaurants in the cities they stayed in were all too happy to give discounts to the most famous living man in the world, however neither Lloyd nor Sheena had a desire for the more upper-class facilities so most dates consisted of a quick meal and then the two would take long walks around the city, sometimes playing games they had learned from their home towns.

The nights were always the same. They spent a fair amount of time kissing in whatever sleeping arrangements they had that night, and then after their energy was spent they wrapped themselves up in whatever warming apparatus they had, Sheena placing her head on Lloyd's chest, and slept well into the latter hours of the morning.

Over time Lloyd began developing another more intimate set of feelings for Sheena, and having little experience with women, he wasn't quite sure how to go about acting on these feelings. Not only that, but he was worried how Sheena might react when he did, he would hate to be taken as a pervert. However it was becoming more and more difficult to control these feelings. The way Sheena dressed certainly didn't help either. He didn't know it but Sheena had caught him staring once or twice, but rather than let it bother her she actually found it cute the way he seemed so embarrassed by it unlike certain other men she knew.

Little did Lloyd know Sheena was having a similar problem. Her attraction to Lloyd had always been primarily in the emotional sense, but it didn't hurt that he was quite good looking too. She loved the way his messy spikes bounced with every step he took, it seemed like his chestnut eyes were always shining, and anytime he was shirtless she couldn't help noticing his light muscle definition. Sheena knew what she wanted to do, but again she was apprehensive about making the first move, and it wasn't something she was particularly comfortable talking about. Again it seemed like all either one of them could do was wait and see what happened.

It had been another three weeks since the night of Regal's birthday ball, and Sheena and Lloyd found themselves back in Meltokio for a small party at Zelos' mansion in honor of Lloyd's birthday. Zelos in all his infinite kindness deemed it necessary to have not only a birthday party, but also a reunion for all of the heroes of the regeneration, although most just assumed this was another side effect of his being bored. In any case, Sheena and Lloyd were the first to arrive at Zelos' mansion as they had already been in the area.

"Ah Lloyd my old bud, good to see you again, what's it been, two weeks?" Said an over excited Zelos. "And Sheena, I'm glad to see your voluptuous figure hasn't gone to waste on this young lad just yet." Sheena raised her hand to imply an oncoming slap, Zelos retreated slightly. "Well come in come in, I'd hate to keep you two out here in the sun when we could be inside having fun."

"Do you practice that line in front of a mirror?" Sheena said.

"Ha-ha as a matter of fact I practice a lot of things in front of the mirror." The slap was literal this time. "Ouch, you know I didn't mean it that way." Sheena just shook her head as she entered. Zelos turned to Lloyd. "I completely meant it that way." He said giving him a nudge with his elbow.

Zelos' mansion was only slightly more decorated than usual. The only noticeable item was a giant "happy birthday sir bud" banister in the middle of the room.

"So you two, what have you been up two these past two weeks?" Asked Zelos. "And please, spare me any mushy details."

"Well," started Lloyd, "we found some bandits that had been hoarding exspheres and selling them on the black market, but we ended that operation pretty quickly."

"And we were able to find a ledger tracking their sales," Sheena added, "so now we'll be able to find all the people those exspheres went to and get them back."

"Well it's good to hear the great exsphere hunt is going well. I wish I could say things were getting more exciting on my end too, but unfortunately it's just more church work."

"But the work you're doing with the church is important." Lloyd said. "People are going to be looking to the Church of Martel to unite Tethe'alla and Sylvarant."

"That's all well and good, but "important" and "exciting" are two completely different things. I do exciting things all the time that are completely pointless, but I never regret them." Zelos said with a gleeful tone.

"Typical idiot chosen." Sheena sighed. "Well if you two boys will excuse me, I've got to go powder my nose before everyone else shows up." She said as she headed up the stairs. After she was out of sight, Zelos took a spot closer to Lloyd.

"So tell me Lloyd, how goes the new relationship?" He asked.

"Honestly I don't think it could be going better." He replied.

"Ah, I see. So I take you two have…" Zelos began, waiting for Lloyd to finish. Of course there was no answer. "You know."

"I know what?" He responded.

"Come on Lloyd, don't give me that naïve crap again, I know you know what I mean."

"Oh that!" He said coming to the realization. "Well that's not exactly something I think I need to be talking about, it's sort of personal."

"Okay, so the answer is no you have not."

"Well how would you know?"

"Because if it had happened we'd be talking about it already. Again Lloyd, you have to remember who you're talking to here. So I guess with you two it's one of two things, you're too shy to make the move because if you did you would have no idea what you were doing and would make a complete ass of yourself."

"Hey I wouldn't make that big of an ass of myself." He replied defensively.

"Or, you're waiting for more of a special night so you're not just humping in the woods where any Tom, Dick, or Harry could be watching."

"Boy Zelos, you really have a way with words." Lloyd said with extra sarcasm.

"Hey, I save all my eloquence for the hunnies, but in your case I'll level with you. I take it this is something that you've at least been putting some amount of consideration into?"

"I'd say I've been putting a fair amount of consideration into it yeah." Lloyd replied.

"Ha-ha yes and who wouldn't with a girl like."

"You know Zelos now that Sheena and I are together I'd really appreciate it if you'd stop talking about her like that, otherwise I'll be the one who's going to start slapping you."

"It's about damn time."

"What?"

"I just think it's about time you started standing up for her, you're a good man Lloyd, and you definitely shouldn't let any man talk about your woman like that."

"But you're the one who was just talking about her."

"Ha-ha yes but we're all friends here. Anyway, back to the main topic of conversation here. You obviously want Sheena in a more than emotional way but you are yet to make the next step."

"Right, well I guess it's sort of a combination of those two things you said earlier. I'd have no idea what I was doing, and I'm waiting for a more special night."

"Well then Lloyd you are very much in luck."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well it's your birthday of course, there's no better day for love makin than on a birthday, of course you could argue every day is someone's birthday and I frequently do."

"I don't know. I'd hate to move things too fast."

"By that you mean yet again, that you would have no idea what you're doing. I can read men just as well as I can women. Speaking of reading women, I must say I think Sheena is ready for you. If there is something I can pick up on its-"

"Spare me." Lloyd interrupted. "So what do you think I should do?"

"I say you go for it. For the love of god man go for it. For my sake and that of every man in this crazy world of two becoming one, go for it. You love her, she loves you. Let me say it again she loves you, and how would she know how bad you are anyway? She wouldn't have anything to compare it to. And because it's your birthday, I'll even let you in on a couple of my secrets for lady pleasing."

"Whatever, you probably just didn't want to buy me a present."

"Regardless. Look, tonight might be your only chance for a while if you want to make it special. And special just so happens to be my middle name."

"Ha-ha special like-"

"Now shut up and listen. Probably the most important thing I can tell you when it comes to this sort of thing is that you can't just go right for the goods."

"What do you mean?" Lloyd asked. Zelos continued to stare at Lloyd in disbelief. "Oh, right, gotcha."

"The keyword here is foreplay. A lot of guys can't even spell the word they ignore it so much, but let me tell you that girls love foreplay, if you can't get foreplay right you're probably not going to have a very happy woman on your hands."

"Well what should I-"

"Don't worry; we'll get to that later. The other thing is don't just go after the obvious places. The shoulder and neck area can be just as sensitive as any other." Zelos was interrupted by a knock at the door. He sprang to his feet and opened it. "Ah Regal my presidential pal, come in come in." He said showing him a seat near Lloyd. "Lloyd and I were just discussing some, shall we say personal matters of his."

"Ah, I believe you mean romantically then?" Regal concluded. This earned him a bit of a shocked look from Lloyd. "Well what other personal matters might this particular chosen be interested in? And thirty isn't that old."

"Care to give any tips to our young Casanova?"

"Unfortunately my love life is still lacking at the moment so I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much help."

"Ah yes, the life of a prudent president can be a lonely one. Well the last thing I can tell you is that you really just need to go with it. Every guy has his own way of going about it, and every woman is going to have different things she likes, but believe me when I say if you do something she likes, you'll know." Zelos then opened the door yet again to allow Presea to enter.

Lloyd sat back in the couch trying to allow is thoughts to center. He was more nervous about the subject now than he had ever been before. He figured all he could do now was let the night continue and see where it would take him.

Sheena had be up stairs "powdering her nose" for close to half in hour now, in reality she had just been sitting in one of the many bedrooms staring at herself in the mirror having a conversation with herself in her head. _Don't worry, I'm sure the only reason Lloyd hasn't tried anything yet is because he's scared just like you are. But what if it's not that? Maybe he's just not that attracted to you. But he's always telling me how lucky he is and how beautiful he thinks I am. That's true but men say a lot of things. Yeah but Lloyd is different, he's not like all those other guys. _Sheena let out a deep sigh. Then there was a knock at the door. She opened it to see Raine standing in the hallway.

"Raine, it's good to see you." Sheena said.

"It's good seeing you Sheena." She replied. "Mind if I join you up here?"

"Of course not, come in."

Raine took a seat in a chair in the corner of the room, Sheena sat back down on the bed in front of the mirror.

"So how have you been?" Raine asked. "I heard you and Lloyd finally did something about those pent up feelings you've been having."

Sheena smiled. "Yeah, it's been going pretty well so far."

"That's good to hear. Forgive me for asking such an intimate question but-"

"No we haven't. Why do you ask?"

"Oh I don't know. I know it's sometimes difficult to believe but like other women my age I do enjoy a bit of gossip here and there."

"Sorry, sometimes I forget you're not always just the professor."

"That's right, I can be a friend on the rare occasion too. I know it can be a bit of an uncomfortable subject but would you like to talk about it?"

"I just don't know what to do about it. And I don't think Lloyd does either."

"Well I wouldn't worry about Lloyd's limited knowledge on the subject now, I'm sure Zelos has been telling him all about it."

"Great, the last thing I want is for that stupid chosen to know the intimate details of our relationship."

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, I doubt Lloyd is the type to talk about it too much."

"You're right."

"So I take it you and Lloyd haven't tried talking about it."

"Of course not. I wouldn't know where to start."

"Well if talking isn't going to work, then perhaps you should just act on your feelings. "

"I don't think either of us would have any idea of what we were doing."

"Just do what feels natural to you. Monsters and animals have been doing for thousands of years with no instruction, I'm sure it won't be too long before you two know what you're doing."

"Ha-ha yeah I guess that's true. I guess I've really just been waiting for the right time, I mean lately we've just been camping out in the woods rather then staying in any of the towns."

"Well then why not tonight? I hate to be so blunt but it is his birthday, which should be a fairly special occasion."

"But with everyone staying the night in the Zelos' Mansion?"

"Well from what I understand you two are going to be only ones staying here tonight. Genis, Colette, and I are staying at the Inn. Regal has a home here he'll be staying at, and Presea will be in his guest room. And knowing Zelos he'll be out philandering most of the night. I don't think you two will have anything to worry about."

"Yeah I guess you're right. Thanks Raine."

"See? It wasn't all the uncomfortable to talk about now was it? Anyway I'm sure more of our friends have arrived by now, perhaps we should join them?"

"Yeah good idea." Sheena replied.

Within the next hour the old gang was back together again sharing stories from their new adventures over the past month and a half. An invitation had also been sent to Yuan who had been living a life of seclusion every since the events of the regeneration. Although he never actually made an appearance at the party, Lloyd swore he saw him in the street for an instant during the night.

After cake was served Lloyd was all too happy to open his gifts. From Presea he received one of the hand crafted luck charms she had been making to benefit Ozette. Genis got him a new pair of gloves to replace those he had worn during the entire journey of regeneration, which were now quite ragged. Colette baked a fresh batch of her famous "sugar frosted pecan raisin oatmeal carrot cake cookies" where polished off later that evening. Raine gave him an entire set of encyclopedia she had received from the academy in Palmacosta. Lloyd was outwardly joking when he said he now had kindling for the next two months, but on the inside he couldn't be more serious. Sheena then presented him with his new sheaths which he was quite ecstatic about and quickly replaced his old ones. Regal presented him with a weeks' vacation for two a la Lezareno Company at the Altamira resort and amusement park. Zelos was serious when he said his gift would be his advice.

Later that night a package was found on the doorstep. Inside there was a sword and shield and a note accompanying it explained it be the first Kratos had ever wielded. The package was addressed from Yuan and Martel.

As the party began to die down, everyone eventually retired to their separate sleeping quarters within the city. Lloyd sat in their bed staring at the sword and shield, reflecting on his father. Both the sword and shield were heavily battered from frequent use, but they must have been well taken care of to still be around four thousand years later. He put them on the nightstand and lay back in bed. Sheena entered from the bathroom wearing the same nightgown from the ball. She crawled into bed next to him.

"Happy birthday." She whispered as she kissed him. Lloyd stared into her eyes as she pulled away. "What is it?" She asked.

"Well I was just thinking," his heart was beating harder and it was making it difficult for him to speak. "I was thinking tonight might be the night." He finally managed to mutter.

Sheena smiled an apprehensive smile. He could feel her heart start to pick up speed. "I was sorta thinking the same thing." She said gazing into his chestnut eyes.

Lloyd pulled her closer and the two began kissing. Lloyd tried to remember everything Zelos had told him earlier, but the heat being generated between their bodies and the thought of impending sex made it difficult for him to focus on anything. He began moving on instinct, which seemed to work for a time. Then she pulled away. She looked back into the brown pools of his eyes.

"Maybe we should-maybe we should start by getting undressed." She said with full blush in her cheeks.

Lloyd hesitated. "Ye-yeah, I think that might be a good idea. Why don't you go first? Since it is my birthday and all." He shyly suggested.

She thought for a moment. "Okay." She finally said. She got up and stood at the end of the bed. Suddenly the apprehension of sex all came rushing back as he realized he had never even seen a naked woman before, not on purpose anyway, and now here he was about to do the last thing he had ever thought about doing with Sheena.

She took a deep breath as she turned and faced Lloyd who was barely breathing at this point. "Just don't laugh or anything." She said trusting that he wouldn't. Sheena took another deep breath as she moved the straps down past her shoulders and let the nightgown fall down to her feet. She was surprisingly comfortable standing bare in front of Lloyd, who didn't blink once. She then got under the covers next to him.

"Okay, now you." She said. Lloyd nodded his head and stood at the same pot at the end of the bed. He removed his shirt, his shorts, and then finally his undergarments. Sheena smiled as he got under the covers with her.

For a moment they just stared at each other, quietly committing this moment to memory. Lloyd leaned in and began kissing her, placing a hand across her bare stomach, lightly caressing her alabaster skin. Sheena tried to relax her body, but was nervous as his hand became fluent with areas of her body that were foreign to him. Lloyd felt the same anxiety as her hand followed a similar path.

Lloyd pulled away for a moment as he positioned himself over her. He took a long look into her eyes. "I love you." He whispered. "I love you too." She replied as the two became one.


End file.
